[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s probably not a secret how much I love Hallowe’en.

Even if it had been, I just announced it to like a bazillion people, so there goes my cover. From the five or six years in a row that I dressed as a cat to the “Sherlock Holmes’ cousin Shirley” costume with the backgammon board briefcase to the year I went as a YouTube makeup guru, I can’t get enough of the opportunity to wear another face.

We do that a little with our writing, too, don’t we? It’s not just the fictioneers; the essayists, too, create a carefully crafted personality by deciding what to hold back and what to share with the world. Be careful when you do this. It can be a bit of a trap. If your “personality” changes, it can be tempting to stop writing. You might feel like you’re letting people down, or telling them that you’ve been lying to them all along. Don’t stop, though. Your truth right now might not be the same as your truth tomorrow, and that’s okay. But all writing is both a form of honesty and dishonesty, whether it’s essay, story, poem or microstory, and it reveals something about its author as well as its subject. As you write and read, consider what you’re revealing about yourself, and what other authors are revealing about themselves, sometimes without even knowing it!

Speaking of revealing, and honesty (Did you cheat? Did you walk right up to the edge of cheating to manipulate the vote? Or did you trust that your writing was good enough to win without that, and make up your mind to work and do better if it wasn’t?) I’m going to give you the results of the popular vote on all three of our grids – nonfiction, fiction|poetry, and microfiction – right here!

But it’s not all about the popular vote, folks. We also have our editorial staff picks to hand out. Every week our editors comb through your submissions looking for their favorites. Picks are based on writing quality, how successful the author is in conveying information, and just plain style. If you got a staff pick this week, grab your badge from the sidebar and wear it with pride!

Once you’re done reading through the staff picks (and congratulating the winners in the comments), keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on all three grids. If you earned the highest number of votes in any challenge, you are this week’s crowd favorite! If you came in first, second or third, you get “top three” honors. Grab your badge from our sidebar!

Looking for your badge? The fiction|poetry, nonfiction and microstories challenges all have the same winner, staff pick, and top three badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Yeah write #237 weekly writing challenge staff picks: nonfiction

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This post gets a super personal topic right. The idea of body image – how we should feel, what we should or shouldn’t say, what we really mean – is a tough one for many as we seek to be understood and accepted and, often, as we seek to understand and accept ourselves. This essay takes us through an evolution as the writer comes to a new conclusion. It’s hard to write through this kind of transformation in such a short space because the internal thought process can be complex. Yet here, it’s broken down neatly. It’s relatable. But most importantly, we don’t lose sight of the inner struggle of the author; rather we appreciate where she’s been and where she’s headed.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”22652″ style=”vc_box_circle” title=”michelle”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Yeah write #237 weekly writing challenge staff picks: microstories

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]C2Avilez’s microstory about a forgotten little girl was my quiet favorite this week. Instead of stating how the reader should feel about her situation or explaining the little girl’s emotions, the author carefully selected just the right amount of details–the growling tummy, the sleeping mother, the rags turning to silk on TV–to let us conjure up our own impressions. C2Avilez took what could easily have been a maudlin topic and made us wish we had a fairy’s wand to sneak into the little girl’s backpack.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22650″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle” title=”nate”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As writers, we’re often so obsessed with the “micro” half of “microstory” that we lose sight of the “story” half. What I loved about this particulary story is that it’s just that: a story, well-told, in 42 words. There are no little tricks like dropping articles or using sentence fragments employed to make word count. And on top of that, it’s a good story: The watch was quirky and intriguing enough that I didn’t even see the third eye coming, and it describes a conversation that we’ve all had and can relate to. The combination of good writing, relatable subject matter, and plot twist – all packed into 42 words – made this a favorite for many people this week, including me![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22657″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle” title=”christine”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

That’s it for our staff picks this week! Remember, we don’t always give out a pick on every grid; if we were impressed by several posts on one grid, we’ll give them all picks, and if nothing really stood out for us on another grid, we’ll hold off.

If you’re lost in the middle of the grid and wondering how you can get a little more feedback on your posts, check out our membership perks!

Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Weekend moonshine grid opens today at 6 p.m. eastern time

Put on your mask, or take it off, and come on down to the moonshine grid this weekend, where we’re not just celebrating Hallowe’en, we’re kicking off our NoMo Challenge. Grab whatever you can get out of the trick or treat basket and bring it with you – the only thing you have to leave at home is commercial posts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Congratulations to the crowd favorites at yeah write #237

The thumbnails are now sorted in order of most votes to fewest. Ties in the overall number of votes are broken by number of editor votes.

Congratulations if you’re at or near the top! Writing well is hard work, and we’re honored you’ve chosen us this week to showcase your entry.

If you’re at or near the bottom, don’t be discouraged. You’re in the right community for learning and growing as a writer, and we are always available with resources for those who ask nicely.

To our readers and voters: thank you! See you next week.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]